July 2017

What The Wind Turbine Technicians Have Learned In The Field

By Mark Del Franco

It takes a special type of individual to work as a wind turbine technician. The men and women who climb towers for a living have developed a unique language – a gallows humor that only those who have done the job can truly understand.

Source: MAKE Consulting

Apart from the obvious dangers of working at extreme heights, the profession also requires a certain mental toughness that allows these men and women to block out distractions, such as the weather, job frustrations and matters more personal.

To get a better appreciation for the rigors of the job, North American Windpower recently took to social media to solicit advice, tips and witticisms from the technicians based on their years on the job.

(Note: At the request of the user group, the names and company affiliations have been removed to “protect the innocent,” as one good-natured technician wrote.)

You never say, “Things have been running well lately.”

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

That wasn’t in the brochure!

Lightning, stand down!

Tie off or fly off, son.

Bonus climb!

What your brain forgets, your legs remember.

Paid by the hour, not the tower.

It was spinning when I left.

Can I get another paint pen?

What happens up-tower, stays up-tower.

When I was in construction, a rigger would say, “Watch your hands, toes and anything else in between you don’t want pinched. Ladies, this excludes you.”

“Trust me. I know. I went to wind school.”

Torqued or cross threaded … tight is tight.

That must have happened in the fall.

Give it another hard boot – it’s gotta be a fluke.

I hope this tower has a lift because I’m not climbing it.

Anyone else bring a 10 mm socket?

Why is there so much paperwork?

If you got time to lean, you got time to clean.

Fool around. Fool around. You won’t be around.

A cross thread is a good thread.

He who denied it, supplied it.

Wanna turn the key and go get some breakfast?

“What, this gash on my knuckle? Nahh, that happened at home.”

Please tell me that landed on the yaw deck.

Ain’t no cryin’ in wind.

Here’s a pep talk from my boss the first day I climbed: “Just remember, you’re only one mistake away from death. Don’t die today.” I survived, and now I’m his secretary.

Get out before your body falls apart.

You’ll have that on them big jobs.

Did you get the rotor lock?

Nothing holds like a cross thread.

Ohm’s law only gets you so far when you’re just a part-changer. Go into engineering and make something much greater than we have now.

Why are we even up here?

Always do a test run before climbing down.

Put that down before you hurt yourself!

Did you return control to bottom of the tower?

Service will get it!

I’m not worried about that today.

We haven’t been to that one in a while.

Technician: We have lightning in our 30. Site manager: Well, you better hurry up and finish before it gets closer!